PVR Acquires SPI Cinemas PVR Ltd, India's largest and most premium multiplex chain announced its acquisition of SPI Cinemas Private Ltd, one of the largest cinema exhibition player in South India with its presence in key markets of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Mumbai. SPI Cinemas has a network of 76 screens (68 operational & 8 expected to commence operations soon) across 17 properties & 10 cities currently. Further, the company has a signed pipeline of over 100 screens which are expected to be rolled out over the next 5 years. SPI Cinemas bags the first on the list in Chennai with 31 operational screens including the iconic Sathyam Cinema, which was established in 1974 and is a household name in the local market. The other roaster of brands under which SPI operates cinemas include Escape, Palazzo, The Cinema and S2. The company has the highest occupancies across all organised multiplex chains in the country and is expected to achieve annual admissions of approx. 16-17mn. In FY19 and revenues of approx. INR 4.1- 4.2 bn. SPI is also one of the key movie distributors in the state of Tamil Nadu. Pursuant to the proposed acquisition, PVR's total screen count will now increase to a booming 706 screens across 152 properties and 60 cities. The acquisition will also propel PVR as the 7th largest cinema exhibitor in the world in terms of annual admissions at its theatres, which will be in excess of 100 million. Under the terms of the proposed acquisition, PVR would acquire 222,711 equity shares of SPI Cinemas constituting 71.7 % of the paid up equity share capital of SPI from existing shareholders for a total consideration of INR 633 crores and issue 1.6 mn equity shares of PVR Limited constituting~3.3% of the diluted paid up equity share capital of the company pursuant to a scheme of
amalgamation between SPI and PVR. Both Kiran M Reddy and Swaroop Reddy will continue to remain associated with the business and provide strategic guidance in integrating the business with PVR and create value for all the stakeholders. The merger process is expected to be completed in next 9-12 months. Commenting on the transaction Ajay Bijli, Chairman cum Managing Director, PVR Ltd said: "The acquisition of SPI Cinemas is of significant strategic value for PVR and will further cement our market leadership position in India. The acquisition will make PVR the undisputed leader in the South Indian market and provide an attractive platform for us to expand in that geography, which currently is highly underpenetrated in terms of multiplexes. Both Kiran and Swaroop have done a tremendous job in building some of the best cinemas in the country and I look forward to their continued partnership with PVR as we take the business to the next level. This transaction is a significant step in helping us achieve our vision of having 1000 screens by 2020". Commenting on the transaction Kiran Reddy of SPI Cinemas said: "SPI Cinemas has been revolutionizing the movie watching experience for its patrons by consistently bringing in world class technology and innovative offerings. We are excited to now partner with the largest Indian multiplex chain PVR as this combines two proven business models and will create significant value for moviegoers as well as all the stakeholders.
INR 5 Billion by FY20: PVR Sets Goals for SPI Multiplex chain PVR Ltd is eyeing 5 billion revenue from South Indiabased SPI Cinemas, which the former is in the process of acquiring, by financial year 2019-20. SPI Cinemas, which operates 76 screens across 17 properties in 10 cities under brands Sathyam, Escape, Palazzo, The Cinema, S2 Cinema, has reported revenue of Rs. 3 billion in 2017-18. "We expect SPI Cinema acquisition to contribute 500 crore (5 billion) revenue by financial year 2020. We also expect this acquisition to help us diversify content risk further with good mix of regional, Bollywood and Hollywood films," states Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Pictures & Head of Strategy and Planning Recently, PVR announced it is acquiring 71.69 per cent stake in SPI Cinemas for about 6.33 billion in an all cash deal. The company's board also approved the issuance of 1.6 million shares of PVR for the residual stake. The company said that acquisition is in line with its continual growth and expansion strategy and will progressively achieve its vision of having 1,000 screens by financial year 2020. Post the transaction, PVR will now boom with 706 screens operational across the country and the company said this acquisition will make it hit the number 1 operator in top 3 cities of South India - Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. When asked if the company is looking at more acquisition opportunities, he said, "We are very conscious of (acquiring a player) that is a perfect
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fit in terms of quality and value proposition. There are not too many opportunities out there now... but if something comes our way we will look at it." Lately in March this year, PVR has said it is evaluating acquisition opportunities of cinema exhibition chains and plans to raise up to 10 billion, to carry out the transaction, through issuance of non convertible debentures (NCDs). In 2016, PVR had also acquired 32 screens of DT cinemas from realty major DLF for 4.33 billion. PVR currently operates over 600 screens in 52 cities in India.
Vkaao Breaks Stereotypes in Indian Film Industry With the evolution of the Indian cinema progressing towards better evolutionary developments day by day, the industry has also seen the rise of many stories and storytellers. And many at times, not all these stories reach the audiences through a traditional theatrical release. This is what BookMyShow and PVR Pictures backed Vkaao for the present changes. With its crowd sourced theatre on demand model, Vkaao continues to successfully give in a platform to a new league of film makers who are increasingly using this oportunity to get just the apt releases across PVR cinemas in the country so as to reach out to the right audience which is tapped using BookMyShow's analytic capabilities. Vkaao's model allows film-makers to create a specific film release plan that ensures focused marketing efforts and better planning of marketing budgets. The platform also allows a long tail theatrical revenue model through which a film stays in the Vkaao library so that one can keep creating incremental shows. Through this model, only the shows where enough people book advance tickets are made live. This is in sheer contrast with a traditional theatrical
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release where the shows are made available before any guarantee of box office collection is established. Some of the notable instances where film makers adopted this unconventional approach include Abhimanyu Chauhan's social drama "Daddy's Daughter" which he decided to first release only in his hometown of Lucknow where close to 15 special screenings were arranged through Vkaao. Another success story is that of 'S Durga', a highly acclaimed movie of this year which adopted a hybrid approach, where movie was traditionally released across Kerala, while outside Kerala, a very well-planned release across select theatres was executed through Vkaao. Similarly, last year's best foreign language film at Oscars, "The Salesmen" was released using a hybrid approach through Vkaao. Further, VKAAO allows film-makers to be very precise in planning their shows depending on probability of meeting advance thresholds. Movies such as, "Play This" is being released on a Monday and would continue for the first week up till Thursday. The reason to ditch the traditional Friday release and choosing a Monday is to control the minimum guarantee required for the movie to be screened. The whole idea is to ensure that the movie is screened on the theatres in the first week, and if the movie has enough potential, it can be continued traditionally throughout the week from the 2nd week. Marzdi Kalianiwala, SVPMarketing and Business Intelligence, BookMyShow, said: "Each year our film industry produces hundreds of films that never see the light of the day and it's been our endeavour to address this. Now with Vkaao's unconventional platform, we are proud to support and promote the work of talented and independent filmmakers and help them take their stories to the right audience." Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Pictures, said: "PVR has always supported the independent filmmakers in India. VKAAO also shares the same ethos. With VKAAO, we are
hoping for more and more filmmakers who could showcase their movies on a big-screen and provide true cinematic experience to discerning audience."Vkaao is primarily a web-platform allowing people of similar interests to come together and enjoy a screening in the local theatres near them. This brings a personalized cinematic experience for the users. Since the strategic tie-up between the two entertainment giants - BookMyShow and PVR Pictures, the organic screenings on the platform have tripled. The platform has seen nearly 50% month-on-month growth in ticket sales in the last year. Vkaao currently provides the option to choose from 600 titles on its platform and organizes shows in close to 50 cities across India including metro and Tier II cities.
SC Puts J&K on Permit for Carrying Outside Food in Cinemas The Honorable High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, in PIL No. 11 of 2018, has passed on order dated 18 July, 2018, whereby the Honorable High Court had, inter alia, directed the Multiplexes / Cinema Hall owners of the State of Jammu and Kashmir not to prohibit cinema goers / viewers from carrying their own food articles and water inside the theatre. Being aggrieved by this order, the Multiplex Association of India has filed a special leave petition (Diary No. 27970 of 2018) before the
Hon'ble Supreme Court of India against the same. The challenge in the petition is limited to the aforesaid direction issued by the Honorable High Court. The matter was listed for hearing on 10th August, 2018, before a bench comprising of Honorable Justice R F Nariman and Honorable Justice Indu Malhotra. Senior Counsel Mukul Rohatgi represented the Multiplex Association of India. After hearing the parties, the Honorable Supreme Court was pleased to stay the above direction issued by the Honorable High Court to the Multiplexes / Cinema Hall owners of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. In addition, two other special leave petitions were filed before the Honorable Supreme Court of India by G S Malls Private Limited (Wave Cinemas) (SLP (C) No. 20904 of 2018) and K.C. Theatre (SLP (C) No. 20784 of 2018) against the same order passed by the Honorable High Court, which were also heard along with the petition filed on behalf of Multiplex Association of India. Senior Counsel Dr Abhishek Singhvi represented G S Malls Private Limited. Deepak Asher, President of the Multiplex Association of India, said: "We are satisfied by the interim direction of the Honorable Supreme Court of India, staying the above order of the Honorable High Court of Jammu and Kashmir. We have always maintained that allowing patrons to bring in their own food and beverages inside cinema theatres, besides infringing upon the fundamental rights of multiplex and cinema operators to carry on business, and being violative of the contractual agreement between the patron and the cinema operator, has serious implications for safety and security, as well as health and hygiene. The stay granted by the Honorable Supreme Court reinforces the established business practice followed by cinemas across the world, and also similar practices followed by other establishments and businesses like amusement parks, entertainment centres, sports stadia, restaurants, hotels, etc."
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A Big Lash to the Malayalam Cinema The Malayalam cinema industry has been hit hard by the recent torrential rains that ravaged the state with many theatres being inundated and some with massive damages. A meeting of film producers, distributors and theatre owners with the office bearers of the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce held post the grieved event decided to re-arrange the dates for releasing at least 10 films scheduled during office-bearers. "The industry has suffered a "huge loss" due to the rains and floods that hit the state", Chamber office bearers said. "Four theatres were completely damaged in the floods. Several other theatres have got inundated and a huge amount was required to be spent for getting it ready", they said. "Overall Rs 300 million loss has been reported in the theatre area alone," Film Chamber General Secretary V C George said.
SAT Allows Nirmal to Sell Shares in Pyramid Saimira Matter The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has allowed Nirmal Kotecha to sell the shares of a firm towards payment of the disgorgement amount as ordered by in the nearly decade-old Pyramid Saimira Theatre matter. The proceeds from sale of the shares of Usher Agro Ltd will be deposited in an escrow account with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), the SAT said in an order dated August 1. Earlier in March, the regulator had imposed a 14-year ban from the securities market on Kotecha as well as penalty worth over 3.2 million with respect to fraudulent trades in Pyramid Saimira Theatre shares that happened almost
ten years ago. The ban on Kotecha is effective since April 23, 2009. "It is not in dispute that this Appellate Tribunal had passed a number of orders allowing parties who were restrained from the securities market to sell the shares that they were holding and keep the proceeds in escrow accounts with Sebi," the SAT said. "... No prejudice would be caused if such a relief is granted," it added. Noting that Kotecha is willing to sell the shares of Usher Agro and deposit the proceeds in an escrow account with Sebi as well as to pay the disgorgement amount ordered by it in its order passed in March 2018, the Tribunal said "the relief sought for is allowed". Kotecha had filed an application seeking to sell the shares of Usher Agro held by him under Sebi's supervision and to keep the proceeds in an escrow account with the regulator and to facilitate payment of the disgorgement amount. The Pyramid Saimira case is one of the biggest pertaining to insider trading and fraud. Kotecha sold a huge number of shares of Pyramid Saimira in December 2008 after dissemination of false information in the media based on a forged Sebi letter asking promoter P S Saminathan to make an open offer. The forged Sebi letter was alleged to have been planned and executed by Kotecha himself and people working with him. Taking action in the case, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had passed interim orders against more than 200 entities, including Kotecha, on April 23, 2009, barring them from capital markets. The Sebi probe later found that Kotecha and entities associated with him, including his friends and relatives, made significant undue profit from the publication of forged letter and the consequent trading activities, which enabled them to offload substantial holdings in shares of Pyramid Saimira.
INOX Partners with GDC for India’s First Ever DTS:X INOX Leisure Ltd, India's leading multiplex chain has partnered with GDC Technology Ltd for getting India's first ever innovative SX-4000 immersive sound media server with a built-in DTS:X decoder, and the XSP1000 cinema processor (GDC Immersive Sound Solution). The GDC Immersive Sound Solution is now installed in INOX screens to deliver a differentiated sound experience to its audiences. DTS:X technology is created to take the audience into a new dimension of sound immersion. The technology transports sound objects to and through specific locations: in front of, behind, above, and next to where the audience is sitting - exactly how the creator intends. The flexibility of DTS:X gives the opportunity to offer the audience a compelling immersive experience by recreating the way sound behaves in the real world. Since its debut in July 2015, DTS:X has enjoyed worldwide adoption by major Hollywood motion picture studios, cinema owners and mixing stages. In 2018, more than 40 theatrical titles will be released with a DTS:X soundtrack. As of May 2018, over 60 world-class mixing stages in 17 countries are now using DTS:X production tools to create the rich, realistic sound experience. In India, INOX Leisure Ltd is the first multiplex chain to get this technology closer to cinema lovers. On this tie up, Alok Tandon, CEO INOX Leisure Ltd says, "INOX has always endeavored in giving the best in cinema experience to its audiences. Sound is a critical element in a multiplex and we wanted to bring in a distinct experience and through DTS:X technology, we aim to achieve the same. We are proud to be the first multiplex chain to bring in this technology to the cinema lovers of this country.""When it comes to providing solutions for exhibition, GDC has always strived to offer the best-in-class products. With the rapid adoption of the GDC Immersive
Sound Solution by leading exhibitors worldwide, it's evident we deliver the right product at the right value proposition. Along with the expansion of screens by current customers, it's exciting to see a leading multiplex chain like INOX installing our solution featuring DTS:X," said Dr. Man-Nang Chong, Founder, Chairman and CEO of GDC Technology Limited.
SPI's First IMAX at Palazzo, Chennai The most awaited movie going experience, IMAX is open at Palazzo, the 11 screen multiplex in Forum Mall, Vadapalani, Chennai. The 442 seater auditorium designed by Giovanni Castor houses the iconic, curved screen. The superior sound
quality complemented by the intricately designed acoustics of the auditorium brings the movie to life. The larger than life screen that spans from the ceiling to the floor coupled with the crystal clear image projection gives the audience a full panoramic view. This combined with the custom patented speakers and state-of-the-art projection systems are sure to transcend the audience to the reel world and leave them spellbound. The screen was launched with the screening of Ant-Man and the Wasp earlier this july. "We are glad to finally be able to share this experience with our audience. IMAX is a must for any movie lover and we are really looking forward to people enjoying the immersive experience that IMAX provides. It's unlike any other and truly transports the viewer to amazing worlds, so much so you feel like you're actually in the movie," says Bhavesh Shah, Head of Experience, SPI Cinemas.
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Harman:
Blessed Audio Solution at Sai Teerth
The Giant screen and the 5D screen installed has brought out a magnificent outcome to the devotees for an ever enriched experience which are now set up in two theatres at Sai Teerth, Ahmednagar. Bagging the title of India's first devotional and immersive Theme Park that opened on 30th March 2018 in Shirdi , it is now equipped with The Giant Screen which is one of the Largest Cinema Screens in any theme park with 500 Seating Capacity and its 5D theatre being the largest in the country housing 160 seats all set for a whole new holistic cinematic experience.
Technosales Multimedia Technologies P.L installed JBL by Harman cinema sound solution in two theatres the Giant screen and the 5D screen at Sai Teerth - India's first devotional Theme Park that opened for devotees on 30th March 2018 in Shirdi. The Giant Screen is one of the Largest Cinema Screen in any theme park with 500 Seating Capacity and the 5D theatre is the largest in the
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country housing 160 seats. Sai Teerth is India's first immersive theme park dedicated to the most worshipped secular saint of all times. Sai Teerth by Malpani Group is one of the modern wonders, which combines devotion with technology and entertainment. There are four custom-built, themed attractions including 'Tirth Yatra', a 12 minutes Temple ride, "Lanka Dahan" a 5D show in a 5-D theatre,
"Sabka Malik Ek" a movie on Sai Baba showed in 500-seater giant screen theatre and "Dwarkamai" a blessing experience created using animatronics and robotics. "When it comes to a holistic cinematic experience in India, the only brand name that comes to our mind is JBL and that was the first choice of the Malpani group as well as Guardian Media and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. - the company who designed & created the theme park." said Rajesh Patil of Technosales Multimedia Technologies P.L. He further added, "Working with the team at Harman was smooth, from a perfectly designed system to timely installation, with perfectly guided installation team which tweaked the system accordingly to get a well-calibrated cinema experience. The outcome is
• INDIA PLEXING • extremely satisfying and appreciated by all who have experienced the content at the theatres so far". Commenting on the install, Sanjay Dabke, Managing Director, Guardian Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd said, "At Sai Teerth, India's first immersive theme park, we wanted the devotees to experience a magical holy journey and bring them closer to the most worshipped secular saint of all times. It is a modern wonder, which combines devotion with technology and entertainment. JBL is an industry leader when it comes to cinema sound and we wanted our audience to have the best audio-visual experience in the two theatres, hence JBL by Harman was our first choice. We are extremely happy to be associated with Harman Professional India and thank Technosales for putting it all together in the way we exactly envisaged." The HARMAN system installed in the giant theatre with inclusions of three JBL 5742 high power, four-way Screen Array loudspeakers, which provide maximum output, optimal coverage with no distortion. In addition to this, Six JBL 4642A subwoofers for powerful low frequency response supplemented
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the screen loudspeakers and eighteen JBL 9310 surround sound speakers provide a true immersive experience. The 5D theatre features three JBL 4722 ScreenArray two-way cinema loudspeakers, supplemented with two JBL 4642A subwoofers and a combination of fourteen JBL 9300 surround loudspeakers. Crown DSI 4000 and DSI 6000 amplifiers power the loud speaker system at the giant theatre and Crown DSI 2000 and DSI 4000 amplifiers provide clean and reliable power with plenty of headroom to the loudspeaker system at the 5D theatre. "It gives us immense pride at HARMAN Professional Solutions India to be
associated with a project of such magnificence and spiritual significance. I congratulate all the team members who worked together in completing this project in such a short span of time. I thank Vikas Corporation, our authorized dealer for Cinema sound, for providing timely logistical and technical support and to the Technosales and HARMAN's in-house cinema application team for perfect installation and commissioning. We're thrilled to provide an immersive cinematic audio experience by JBL & Crown for the devotees at the theme park," said Prashant Govindan, Sr. Director, Harman Professional Solutions, India & SAARC.
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Karpagam Cinemas:
Lavishly Made Multiplex in Coimbatore
With significant renovations on the sound system, acoustics and interiors, Managing Director Sivapragasam shares an insight on the saliently rebuilt features and views of the technology partners who helped shape the elegance of the Cinema that it is today. He also discloses his view on having Karpagam Cinemas introduced to the Double Layer Dolby Atmos in his main screen Ganga with an unexampled audio configuration.
Karpagam Cinemas, the largest Multiplex located in Coimbatore recently brought in exquisite and significant renovations on the sound system, acoustics and interiors. Managing Director Sivapragasam discloses his experience on introducing Dolby Atmos in his main screen Ganga and Yamuna with an unexampled audio configuration which is Double Layer Dolby Atmos. Sivapragasam said: "Normally Dolby Atmos is difficult for Large Auditorium with Balcony Theatres like us. I was looking for expertise in audio that did many numbers of Dolby Atmos screens with Balconies. Theatre Concepts did execution of Dolby Atmos in both screens Ganga and Yamuna. Audience happily gives a positive feedback with the output".
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Also he says that he is much honored to initiate first Double layer Atmos in Coimbatore Tamilnadu with the help of Theatre Concepts Team. Theatre Concepts, Managing Director Harry Martin sharing his experience on Karpagam Theatre said: "We introduced Double Layer Technology in Karpagam Theatre's
main screen Ganga. Installing Atmos in cinemas with larger auditoriums like Karpagam is challenging. But with our QSC certified engineers and highly efficient team, the designing and execution was made possible. Credits to my dedicated team! I take this opportunity to thank them for a successful installation. We delivered Audio Installs- Double Layer Dolby Atmos 48 Channel & 3-way Tri-Amplified with complete QSC - Screen Channel, Surrounds and Amplification, Visual InstallsCHRISTIE 4K 4230 in the main screen Ganga and CHRISTIE 4K 4220 in the Yamuna screen, Galalite: 2.7 & 2.4 Gain Silver Screen for the screen solutions and 22" Pushback with Cup Holder for the seating."
• INDIA PLEXING • "We separated auditorium as two zones, one is balcony and another one is under balcony. Two layers of surround speakers are given, First Layer of speakers covered Balcony Zone and Second Layer of Speakers will cover Under Balcony Zone. Normally integrators will do the same but they don't provide initial three wide surround speakers as two zones, but we completely provided separate wide speakers for two zones with the total count of 90 surround speakers, and succeeded", Harry added on the Double layer Dolby Atmos. DNC Studio (Dezign and Construction Studio), Managing Director Anand sharing his experience says: "We did Architecture (Interior Design, Acoustics, Lobby and Canteen Design) and the complete detail of Interiors and Acoustics listed below".
Engineering) to complete the project on time with excellent output in all aspects. Their Teamwork was highly appreciable. Humongous positive response from the audience about the interior, amenities, air-conditioning, audio & projection have".
Acoustic Ceiling Work Installed Sheetrock ST45 Perimeter channel 0.45mm thick and then 20mm thick acoustic wood wool board fixed on the channel then ceiling top covered with 50mm thick 1000 GSM synth PF finished.
Side Wall, Back Wall, Screen Wall Installed Sheetrock ST45 Perimeter channel 0.45mm thick and then 20mm thick acoustic wood wool board fixing on the section profiles then Commercial 12mm thick plywood patty laying work as per design pattern with the support from the Acoustic wood wool board, Next 12mm gripper laying on ply patty with infill of 25mm thick 500 GSM Synth PF for dust free, No odor, eco-friendly and 100% polyester acoustic insulation products for Wall and finally stretch the fabric on the Gripper system
Acoustic Door Teak wood frame is used to pack 500 gsm synth and finished one side with 12mm ply and other side is finished with 15mm wood wool board and
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"V" board of 12mm nailed and finished with laminates. Concealed door closure of dorma will be used and the handle to be of 4'0" high (SS) Aero Engineering, Managing Director Jawahar said: "To improve the comfort of the occupants in these kind of large Auditoriums, we designed 100 TON Capacity in Ganga Screen & 50 TON Capacity inside the theatre to remove heat & moisture from the interior of an occupied space". Karpagam Cinemas Managing Director Sivapragasam said, "We are very much happy about the team who worked together (Theatre Concepts, DNC Studio and Aero
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PVR Cinemas:
India's First LED Screen Cinema A path breaking innovation to redefine theatre experience at PVR, Vasant Kunj for the movie-goers! PVR Cinemas joins hands with Samsung, India's most trusted consumer electronics brand and the leader in display technology to announce the launch of its first Onyx Cinema LED in India. With its First High Dynamic Range LED theatre display from Samsung with futuristic features such as Onyx View, Onyx 3D and Onyx Sound, movie lovers can now watch the movies with unparalleled picture quality, true colours, and greater vibrancy and accuracy, exactly how the director intended it to be seen.
PVR Cinemas, India's largest film exhibition company, with Samsung, India's most trusted consumer electronics brand and the leader in display technology, recently announced the launch of its Onyx Cinema LED. With this new display technology, movie lovers can now watch the movies with unparalleled picture quality, true colours, and greater vibrancy and accuracy, exactly how the director intended it to be seen. Film projectors have been the medium of cinema display for over 120 years now. This nextgeneration innovation is all set to end this old method and will change the way we watch movies at a
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Cinema Hall and will mark a new chapter in the history of cinema
viewing technology. The screen will now be playing shows at PVR Icon, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. The unveiling of PVR Onyx Cinema LED screen was conducted in the presence of HC Hong, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia and Sanjeev Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR Ltd. "Samsung has always been at the forefront of meaningful innovations and we are delighted to launch Onyx LED Cinema screens in India. The screen is now up and running at PVR Icon, Vasant Kunj. We are the first Cinema exhibition chain in the country, to introduce this disruptive theatre technology for Indian movie-
• INDIA PLEXING • goers," said Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR Limited. "We are committed to deliver world class standards of cinematic experience to our patrons and this association is another step in this direction," he added. "India is a film loving country. Our movies are full of vibrant colours and rich music. Onyx Cinema LED will be the true solution for such content and we believe this technology will be a 'Blockbuster' in the cinema industry. It is going to revolutionize the movie viewing experience of the movie lovers," said Puneet Sethi, Vice President, Consumer Electronics Enterprise Business, Samsung India. "This screen is one of the first few screens launched worldwide by Samsung and we are thrilled to partner with one of India's biggest film entertainment company, PVR Cinemas to bring in this game changing technology for the movie lovers," he added. Over the past few years, movie theatres have been seeing a huge spurt in numbers. Advanced theatre technology is on a growth gradient. With increasing interest in the technology among movie experts and enthusiasts, Samsung launched the innovative Onyx Cinema LED, a move away from the projection systems that were existing hitherto. The Onyx Cinema LED has the potential to deliver unparalleled picture quality, bringing content to life with greater vibrancy and accuracy. It comes with an array of solutions including the Onyx VIEW, Onyx 3D and Onyx SOUND, providing a uniquely immersive experience. This comprehensive screen and sound solution for movie theatres is poised to revolutionize cinematic experience for every movie enthusiast, whether you are a movie buff, a sports fan, or even a fence sitter.
Onyx Cinema LED The Onyx display easily accommodates any venue configuration while delivering unmatched visual quality, technical
Technology with Seating Comfort Our Friendship with Ferco Seating and Mr Tim Barr goes way back to the year of 1997 and it is with this joint effort of ours, that we are able to become proud vendors of PVR Cinemas, something that had us waiting for many many years. The recliner loungers and the Milano seats that are being offered are the first of its kind in India and we thank PVR Cinemas team and in particular Gautam Dutta for the trust and his words of wisdom and Agneet for his undying effort to visit the factory on many occasions and share his thoughts and the confidence that he bestowed in Ferco Seating and Pen Workers Seating. We are happy to install our seats at India's first LED screen cinema at PVR Cinemas, Vasant Kunj. Now the movie-goers will feel the High Dynamic LED technology with best seating comfort. - Anmol Kashmiri, Pen Workers Seating Company
performance and reliability over traditional projectors. The screen maintains its advanced presentation capabilities in ambient lighting conditions, regardless of the featured on-screen content. It also accommodates users who wish to utilize their theatres for corporate events, concert and sports event viewing, and gaming competitions. The screen also offers state-of-the-art Onyx surround sound experience from JBL by Harman International and Samsung's Audio Lab, bringing scenes to life through' clear and precise audio. This integration eliminates rearward bias by expanding the audio "sweet spot", while ensuring that all attendees can enjoy the same experience regardless of seat location, within the theatre. Onyx VIEW, combined with an infinite contrast ratio and specialized low-tone greyscale settings delivers brighter and more detail-rich content. The screen delivers High Dynamic Range (HDR) to the cinema,
showcasing on-screen contents at peak brightness level - nearly 10 times greater than that offered by standard cinema projectors (146fL versus 14fL). The display delivers improved uniformity, free of optical distortion and interference. It is industry's first DCI-certified cinema display available in variations extending between 5, 10 and 14 metres in width. The 3D Onyx Cinema LED screen makes 3D movie content more realistic through enhanced brightness and consistent colour amplification. Glass-wearing viewers can now have the benefit of watching subtitle texts, images and even minor visual details with unprecedented clarity, sans the dark, blurry shadowing and potential dizziness that can occur in traditional 3D movie theatres. Samsung and PVR will extend this partnership and come up with more theatres equipped with Onyx Cinema LED screens in the recent future. September-November 2018
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Thangam Cinemas:
Pollachi's Role Model Cinema Drawing consistent transitions starting from the basic conventional to E-cinema and finally then to a complete digital projection into its cinema, Thangam cinemas has come a long way up the aisle of today's cinema world. Having recently renovated the front lobby lounge with an elegant lighting background inclusive of a plush illuminated AC lounge along with transparent glass panels being installed to give a facelift to the front elevation as a whole, A.V.Senthil, Managing partner and Lakshmi Prabha, Partner, Thangam Cinemas give us a glimpse into their ever exuberant journey.
Flash from the past During the inception of Thangam Cinemas, in 1980`s, the film industry was in a flourishing mode, that gave a lime idea to the promoters to open a theatre in the small town of Pollachi located in the Coimbatore district of Tamilnadu though having
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a population of about 3 lakhs comprising its surrounding areas. With agriculture being the main source of income in the town even today and with a society having a non-technology driven nature, Thangam cinemas sure did bring about a humongous but yet a stronger drift to the roots of Pollachi.
Cinema to the knowledge of this town was a basic conventional and non luxury mode of experience until a few decades before. Thangam Cinemas as went precisely planned, was located in the periphery area of the town targeting to serve all categories of people. Thangam Cinemas had kept spruce ambience as its primary objective of service and is the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) of the business. It was given gradual facelifts at various stages since 2010 to uplift itself from basic conventional cinema projection to Digital projection or E-Cinema in 2010 and from E-cinema to then transform into Digital Cinema in 2015. To precisely state, during 2015, major renovation was given to transform itself to a state of the art theater of its kind in this rural area of Coimbatore.
• INDIA PLEXING • Investors and Promoters Promoters of Thangam Cinemas evolved basically from an agricultural background family and transformed themselves to business in other fields. A.Venkatachalam (AV), leading chilly businessman and former Chairman of Pollachi Municipality, with the support of his brothers A.Subbian and A.Manickam, promoted Thangam Cinemas (TC) as a family entity - who invested to start this business venture by the year 1983. Later on their heir A.V.Senthil, an MBA graduate hailing from the business family, descended to take care of the business entity run by his predecessors. Having keen interest in the Cinema Industry, A.V.Senthil revamped the theater to the steadfast developing business standards and converted it to a role model single screen theater in this region. The moral support and advises of his cousins S.Srinivasan, M.Muruganandham as he states played a pivotal role for the successful business model of Thangam Cinemas.
Challenges in the Journey The cinema industry being a highly competitive world in itself, faced a big drift to touch the trough during the period of 1990-2000. To mention further, during this period many theatres were either closed or converted to other business houses. While from 2005, the industry started
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to change its perception which meant to upgrade itself to the latest technology slowly. Despite the financial burden sustained during that era, Thangam Cinemas had undergone vigorous implications of planning and executing the developments in various stages. The course of development initiated in 2010, when Thangam Cinemas had elevated itself from conventional projection system to E-Cinema. Subsequently, during 2013 another phase of renovation was taken up to enhance the seating arrangements wherein semi-luxury seating was incorporated with the revamping of audio systems by inducting Dolby
3 way speaker system to the then latest technology. In 2015, Thangam Cinemas brought in a major renovation to transform itself to the latest state of art technology and first of its kind in the town by all means technical, screening, plush interiors, sound, air conditioning, lavish parking, lounge facility, power backup etc. At this point of renovation, the auditorium had been fully renovated technically & with plush interiors, German made HARKNESS 2.4 gain silver screen, projection was improvised with digital 2K 3D projectors with high lumens, seats were changed with all new luxury seating, centralized airconditioning and the sound system was changed to Dolby 7.1 3-way surround sound system with adequate power back up facility for all systems. By 2016, both cafeterias were refurbished to multiplex standards with snacks and refreshments provided to metro levels in very hygiene and professional manner. Cafeterias were
• INDIA PLEXING • put-up in two different locations of the auditorium in order to give a hassle free service to the audience. Recently, the front lobby lounge has been renovated with ultra modern concept design work with an elegant lighting background including a plush illuminated a/c WOW lounge. Transparent glass panels are installed to give a facelift to the front elevation as a whole. Further the auditorium is equipped with 64 tones of air-conditioning backed up with 125KVA of fully automated power generation providing nonstop cooling and movie viewing experience to audience. Currently after dedicated and unstopped efforts for so many years of renovations, Thangam Cinemas has now attracted a massive volume of audience. Of course the bashing sound, crystalline picture, cleanliness, good ambience, ample parking space etc has won the hearts which is clearly is shown over the positive comments pitched on their social pages.
FACT FILE Thangam Cinemas Pollachi A Venkatachalam
Cinema Name Location Promoter Architects Concept & Shell Architets: Interior Architects / Interior Designer: Consultants Building services (HVAC, Plumbing, FFTG, Elect): HVAC:
P. Krishnaraju, Coimbatore Balamurugan, M/s SoundProof of Talkies, Chennai Vinod Kumar Bluestar
Booth equipment Projectors: Processors:
Brand & Model NEC 900 Dolby CP850
Audi equipment Speakers: Screen: Seating: Acoustical Materials:
Brand & Model 18 Sound, BMS Harkness Screens MS Cine Seats, Madurai Anutone Acoustics
Integrator Qube Cinema Dolby
Movies Played in Cinema Newly released Tamil movies take the preference to be screened at Thangam Cinemas. Multi lingual and Hollywood movies of Warner Bros, Disney Pictures, Marvel etc, in 2K & 3D are also played here. Few to mention with a record collection and footfall are The Conjuring during 2017 and Avengers during 2018. Padmavat - a recent record breaking multi lingual movie was screened by us too. Impressed by star veteran actor and political leader Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. MGR, A.Venkatachalam, promotor of Thangam Cinemas started with first screening of "Ricksakaran" that turned to a super hit movie at that time. It has screened several super hit movies at various periods. Bahubhali 1, Mersal are few such movies which faced highest collection and record breaking footfall to our auditorium. Thangam Cinemas screened the recent box office collection hit movie
"Bhahubali 2" with a record breaking footfall of more than 6 million & high box office collection in single screen category in this region. Thangam Cinemas has become a preferred theatre by the International movie makers Warner Bros, Disney Pictures, Marvel to screen their movies in this region.
Features Having a lush seating capacity of 655 for its audience, Thangam Cinemas' Auditorium is equipped with
13.18 m x 5.64 m size of German made Harkness 2.4 Gain Silver Screen to give a crystalline movie viewing experience to its audience. Air-conditioning facility from lounge to auditorium, Dolby 7.1 surround sound in 3 way speaker system, 125 KVA fully automated power back up system for uninterrupted movie experience, Exclusive Mobile app for ticketing, Paperless ticketing for those buying the tickets online as a GO-Green measure have been a plus to Thangam Cinemas making it the first ever cinema in its town privileged with these ameneties.
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• INDIA PLEXING •
INOX:
Expanding the Star Experience
Celebrating its successful journey, INOX Leisure Ltd, India's premier multiplex chain announced yet another milestone with a bag-filling launches of its new properties widespread around the country. The year currently has brought-in tremendous evolved developments and lavish launches to INOX, thus to nearly double the contracted footprints in the country over a 12-month period. Gracing its magnificence with its own distinct architecture and aesthetics, INOX now spreads its wings rapidly pan India, setting its foot firmer by bringing its profound properties yet again in the bustling cities of Coimbatore, Gurugram, Kakinada, Zirakpur and Malad.
IMAX and INOX: The Premium Agreement IMAX Corporation and INOX Leisure Limited, a world-class multiplex chain in India, announced an agreement for five new IMAX theatres recently. The theatres will be added to new complexes, with two being located in the city of Delhi and one theatre each located in the cities of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Gurugram. The deal brings IMAX's total number of contracted theatres in India to 40, with 15 currently open and 25 contracted to open. "We are very
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encouraged by the rapid pace of our expansion in India, where we've nearly doubled our contracted network in the last year," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "We're seeing an evolution in the world's third-largest box office market towards more premium, event-driven cinema, and believe IMAX is ideally positioned to work together with world-class theatre chain, INOX, who shares our commitment to quality and innovation, to usher in differentiated cinema experiences across their flagship locations in India."
INOX Leisure Ltd. CEO Alok Tandon said, "INOX stands for the best in luxury, comfort and technology. We have always believed in giving a 7-star movie viewing experience to our patrons and there is no better experience than IMAX. We receive phenomenal responses from our patrons for the IMAX screens we already have. We are delighted to strengthen this and further expand our footprint of IMAX screens with this latest deal and strongly believe that this association will only grow." Inclusive of today's agreement, INOX has contracted for a total of 10 IMAX theatres, with two open and eight scheduled to open. INOX currently has an IMAX theatre open in Mumbai and another in Bangalore, both of which opened in 2017. With this deal, INOX will add new IMAX theatres to some of India's most prominent commercial developments, including a standalone IMAX theatre at the iconic Paras Theatre location in the heart of South Delhi and a theatre at the Reliance Convention Centre and Retail in Bandra Kurla Complex Mumbai's prestigious business district.
• INDIA PLEXING • Inorbit Mall in Malad, Mumbai India's premier multiplex chain recently brought The IMAX Experience to its INOX multiplex at Inorbit Mall, Malad with the release launches of The Incredible 2 and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The theatre marks the third IMAX location launched by INOX after Mantri Mall in Malleshwaram, Bangalore and R-City in Ghatkopar, Mumbai. INOX has another seven IMAX theatres slated to open across India. The new INOX IMAX theatre at Inorbit Mall offers a truly immersive cinematic experience for its guests. IMAX's cutting-edge projection system, which delivers crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital sound system,
creates a unique environment that will make the audience feel as if they were in the movie! "In IMAX, everything from the movie itself to the theatre's technology and design was developed and customized to make movie-goers believe they're part of the action," said John Schreiner, IMAX's Senior Vice President, Theatre Development for India, Russia, CIS, and Middle East. "INOX is a valued partner that shares our passion for delivering premium entertainment experiences. Together we are excited to introduce moviegoers in Malad to IMAX and deliver the world's biggest blockbusters in our state-of-the-art, immersive format."
definitely been the most awaited one. We have some great feedback coming in from the previous IMAX screens that we launched. For us, it is all about making movie-viewing experience memorable of our customers and there is a certain fanbase that IMAX brings to the table. We are happy that this association falls in line with the 3 pillars that we operate in - LUXURY, SERVICE and TECHNOLOGY" The Incredibles 2 and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom had been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology.
Alok Tandon, CEO- INOX Leisure Ltd. Said: "IMAX launch in Mumbai has
Prozone Mall in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu Recently having launched its largest multiplex in Coimbatore with 9 screens and 2058 seats, INOX has further strengthened its presence in Tamil Nadu with a total of 4 properties and 23 screens. Present at the inaugural were T. N Hariharan, I.A.S., District Collector cum District Magistrate of Coimbatore, Alok Tandon, CEO - INOX Leisure Ltd. commenting on the launch, said: "This is our largest multiplex in the country with maximum number of
seats. We are on an aggressive expansion mode and this launch is in line with that. We are certain that our guests in Coimbatore will enjoy the services what INOX has to offer in this new multiplex" The all new multiplex located at Prozone Mall, Coimbatore boasts of bespoke plush interiors with world class service, high end digital projection system, Dolby Atmos sound for guests to enjoy explosive
sound, vibrant 3D powered by Volfoni Systems, Interactive Box Office where guests choose their seat and see the entire transaction. That's not all; it also is equipped with a dedicated lounge for our young patrons, 'Kiddles'. Guests can also enjoy endless food and beverage options at Café Unwind.
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• INDIA PLEXING • Sapphire 83 in Gurugram, Haryana INOX Leisure Ltd, India's leading multiplex chain launches its second multiplex in Gurugram with 3 screens and 567 seats. With this launch, INOX has further strengthened its presence in North with a total 31 properties and 109 screens in 19 cities. The allnew multiplex at Sapphire 83, Gurugram boasts of bespoke plush interiors, high end digital projection and recliner seats with ample leg space amongst others. Guests can also enjoy vast food and beverage options at our concessions counters. Commenting on the launch, Lalit Ojha, Regional Director - North said: "Staying in-line with our aggressive expansion plans, this is our second launch in North region within a month's timeline. We are happy to be increasing our footprint in the Northern region and will continue to do so".
82° East SRMT Mall in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, gets its largest multiplex with the launch of INOX. The new multiplex in the city has 5 screens and 915 seats. With this launch, INOX has further strengthened its presence in Andhra Pradesh with a total 08 properties and 33 screens. The all-new multiplex at 82° East SRMT Mall & Multiplex, near Sarpavaram Junction, Kakinada
boasts of bespoke plush interiors, 3D-enabled silver screens, Volfoni 3D experience, distortion-free digital surround sound by Dolby Atmos, seats with ample leg space, hasslefree ticketing options through automated kiosks, paperless ticket entry and much more. Guests can also enjoy vast food and beverage options at our Concessions counters.
Commenting on the launch, Mohit Bhargava, Regional Director, South, INOX Leisure Ltd. said, "With the launch of INOX, it is the largest ever multiplex in the city of Kakinada. We are privileged to bring our services to the people of Kakinada. We are certain to set new standards of movie-viewing in Kakinada, as we have done in other cities in the state".
Dhillon Plaza in Zirakpur, Punjab The launch in Zirakpur, Mohali District in Punjab with 4 screens and 945 seats is the second INOX multiplex in Punjab after Amritsar. The all new multiplex at Dhillon Plaza, Zirakpur boasts of bespoke plush interiors, 2K digital projection system, 3D enabled screens and distortion free digital surround sound by Dolby Atmos, Recliner seats with more leg space and much more. Guests can also enjoy endless
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food and beverage options at Café Unwind. Commenting on the launch, Lalit Ojha said: "FY19 is a year of aggressive expansion plans for INOX. This is our second multiplex launch in the last 3 months in the Northern region and there is more in the pipeline. We are happy to be redefining cinema viewing experience with our 7-star services all across North".
Nationally, INOX is now present in 65 cities with 128 multiplexes, 520 screens and a total seating capacity of 126736 across India. At INOX, it's about living the movie and an association with IMAX only brings forth that philosophy to practice. INOX has redefined the way cinema is viewed in the country with the best of world-class technology, service and 7-star luxury.
• INDIA PLEXING •
PVR Cinemas:
Reaffirming Growth of the Empire
In line with its rapid expansion plan, PVR Ltd., the largest cinema exhibition company in India, has further expanded its presence in Chennai. Sustaining its tradition of offering world-class cinema experience, the 5-screens multiplex at SKLS Galaxy Mall, GNT Road, Redhills, Chennai, boasts enhanced in-theatre technology for its patrons. With this launch, PVR strengthens its presence in Southern India with 169 screens in 26 properties and a total screen count of 27 screens across 5 properties in the state of Tamil Nadu. Located at the outskirts of Chennai with a perfect amalgamation of residential and industrial pockets and colleges; the cinema is spread across an area of 33,645 sq. ft. with a seating capacity for 977 audiences. The brand new multiplex features 7.1 Digital surround-sound along with 4K projection systems and Next Generation 3D screens, offering a cutting-edge cinema viewing experience to the patrons. Commenting on the launch, Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR Ltd. said, "South is an important market for us and this
announcement highlights our commitment towards providing an exceptional customer experience across location. Backed by world-class hospitality, we are hopeful that this
Sustaining its tradition of offering world-class cinema experience, PVR Cinemas Expands its presence and growth with the launch of its 4th multiplex in Chennai to a total of 22 screens in the city. The 5-screens multiplex at SKLS Galaxy Mall, GNT Road, Redhills, Chennai, boasts enhanced in-theatre technology for its patrons featuring 7.1 Digital surround-sound along with 4K projection systems and Next Generation 3D screens, offering a cutting-edge cinema viewing experience. property would be a new hub of entertainment and will be appreciated by the movie aficionados." Speaking on the occasion, Gautam Dutta, CEO, PVR Cinemas said," We are delighted to announce the launch of our 4th multiplex in Chennai and it is indeed a pleasure to outspread our presence in the market. At PVR, our aim is to provide a world-class cinema watching experience, backed by best in class services, and superior technologies. We are confident that the launch of this 5-screens multiplex in Chennai will be received well by our audiences here." The overall movie watching experience at the multiplex is further enhanced with a wide range of gourmet delicacies. Furthermore, the next-gen Quick Tix facility is the most convenient instant ticketing solution for the patrons. PVR's brand new property has an opulent, heritage look as a tribute to the smart-city, Chennai. With this opening, PVR stands at a total screen count of 711 screens at 153 properties in 60 cities.
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• INDIA PLEXING •
PVR Cinemas:
First of Its Multiplex Now in Mysuru Located at Garuda Mall and featuring state-of-the-art cinema projection and immersive audio technologies, PVR Cinemas, country's largest cinema exhibition chain inaugurated its first-screen multiplex in Mysuru. The brand new multiplex offers world-class cinematic features including 4K projection system along with Dolby 7.1 surround sound and next-generation 3-D bringing an exceptional digital movie experience with excellent visuals and audio quality. At the opening, Ajay Bijli, Chairman and Managing Director, PVR Ltd. said, "South has been a very successful market for us. We are going bullish in terms of expansion in the region as the market is ripe; people are ready to consume different programming mix. We envision huge footfalls to our multiplex owing to this one-stop destination mall that brings in popular brands under one roof. Garuda Mall is a renowned name in the industry and we look forward to a resounding association."
PVR Cinemas, country's largest cinema exhibition chain inaugurated its first-screen multiplex in Mysuru. Located at Garuda Mall and featuring state-of-the-art cinema projection and immersive audio technologies, it is well-equipped to deliver the most exciting and cinematic experience to movie-goers in the city. With this launch, PVR boasts a total screen count of 89 screens across 12 properties in the state of Karnataka and a screen count of 164 screens at 25 properties in Southern India. Centrally located in the heart of the city, the property is spread across an area of 29,500 sq. ft. and can seat 911 audiences in its four auditoriums equipped with prime seats. The brand new multiplex offers world-class cinematic features including 4K projection system along with Dolby 7.1 surround sound and next-generation 3-D bringing an exceptional digital movie experience with excellent visuals and audio quality. At the opening, Ajay Bijli, Chairman and Managing Director, PVR Ltd. said, "South has been a very successful market for us. We are going bullish in terms of expansion in the region as the market is ripe; people are ready to consume different programming mix. We envision huge footfalls to our multiplex owing to this one-stop destination mall that brings in popular brands under one roof. Garuda Mall is a renowned name in the industry and we look forward to a resounding association." Speaking on the occasion, Gautam Dutta said, "We are absolutely delighted to bring the PVR experience to our discerning patrons in Mysuru. As the leading cinema chain in India, we remain strongly committed to offering the best-in-class cinema with in-house technologies for an ultimate cinematic experience with the finest visuals and audio. Our latest multiplex in Mysuru will surely enable us to draw in the crowds from the city and the neighboring areas," PVR Garuda has been designed as a heritage property with a unique
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• INDIA PLEXING • royal look. While the central location of the property provides ease of access; the cinema offering steps up to serve its patrons with an instant ticketing solution, the Next-Gen Quick Tix, for added convenience. Moreover, a wide range of gourmet delicacies further complement the offerings of the multiplex. Customers can also take advantage of redeeming PVR gift cards and attain a privilege membership at the cinema. With this opening, PVR stands at a total screen count of 711 screens at 153 properties in 60 cities.
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• INDIA PLEXING •
Carnival Cinemas:
Finest Screen Experience in Ongole
With a seating capacity of 900 seats, equipped with world class 4K Digital Projection Technology, excellent sound systems, high luminosity 3D screens, lavish interiors, plush leather recliner seating arrangements, a wide array of F&B and gourmet cuisines and the best-in-class services at affordable prices, Carnival Cinemas launched a three screen multiplex at Ravi Priya Mall & Multiplex in Ongole recently. Movie lovers will now be allowed further accessibility to the best movies and finest multiplex hospitality in all of its cinematic glory with this launch. India's fastest growing and one of the leading national multiplex chain Carnival Cinemas led by Dr. Shrikant Bhasi launched a three screen multiplex at Ravi Priya Mall in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh (A.P). Renowned actress Pooja Hegde, Kunal Sawhney, Vice President of
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Operations, Carnival Cinemas along with Chief Guests Sri Sidda Raghava Rao, Hon. Minister of Environment, Forest, Science & Technology, A.P. and Sri Damacharla Janardhana Rao, District President T.D.P. & M.L.A. Ongole inaugurated the new multiplex. Ravi Priya Mall is the first
• INDIA PLEXING • mall in the district. With a seating capacity of 900 seats, the multiplex is now equipped with world class 4K Digital Projection Technology, Dolby Atmos sound, high luminosity 3D screens, lavish interiors, plush leather recliner seating arrangements, a wide array of F&B and gourmet cuisines and the best-in-class services at affordable prices. On this occasion, Dr. Shrikant Bhasi, Chairman and Founder, Carnival Group said "We know how much our patrons in Andhra Pradesh love the big screen experience. With this launch of Carnival Cinemas in Ongole, movie lovers will be allowed further accessibility to the best movies and finest multiplex hospitality in all of its cinematic glory. We have worked towards providing state-of-the-art technology and services at a reasonable price. Keeping in line with our national and international expansion plans, we are very focused on increasing our presence in A.P. as well."
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• INDIA PLEXING •
With new screens being constantly added, thanks to the chain's focused and aggressive expansion; moviegoers will have even more locations to
choose from in the future. Carnival has raised the bar on innovation, encouraging consumers to come back to the movie theatres. Carnival
Cinemas, aims to 'democratize movie viewing experience' by making it accessible to all movie lovers across not just A.P. but the whole country.
Carnival Cinemas and ZebraIoT Sign Up an Agreement to Implement Energy Saving Solution Using IoT Carnival Cinemas has now joined hands with ZebraIoT, an Internet of things (IoT)-based energy & services management company (Headquartered in Mumbai) to monitor, measure and control their energy consumption at their geographically spread out sites in the select Carnival Cinemas theatres. The platform provides predictive equipment maintenance facility for managing energy, predicting equipment failure or detecting other issues. It also has the provision to adjust comfort temperature based on occupancy schedule integrated ticket booking systems.
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Mohan Umrotkar, CEO, Carnival Cinemas, said: "ZiOT platform will significantly achieve up to 30% reductions in our energy bills, by considering the site occupancy & environment conditions, and by enabling rule engines which control and regulate HVAC parameters automatically. Its analytic models allow regulating complex control settings which are otherwise not possible with manual control. With the rise of cloud computing and big data I'm very excited to introduce this in cinema exhibition which will make smart theatres, a yet another way to take advantage of an intelligent platform and drive more collaboration and creativity."
Rakesh Nayak, Director, ZebraIoT Controls Private Limited said: "Carnival Cinemas is always committed towards the environment to implement innovative sustainable practices to track and measure improvements in carbon footprint, reduce waste, conserve natural resources, reduce usage of energy using technology driven intelligent control systems, to ensure the optimal environment impact at all times." It will be deployed at 34 locations across India in the first phase and help saving energy up to 30%.
• BUSINESS TREND •
Kasi Talkies:
Back to Fulfil the Passion Long-lost! The construction of new multiplexes and modernising of cinemas is happening on a large scale in India working by the main motto to lure customers back to cinema theatres. With multiplexes investing in impressive sound and vision, stylish lobby design and comfortable seating, Kasi Talkies, an upcoming cinema chain in the heart of Chennai, with their new avatar has been delivering the best cinema viewing experience with ultra-high-definition quality, stateof-the-art Barco projection and Qube Cinema's Immersive Audio division installing Dolby Atmos to its audience today. With the Kasi Talkies back in the cinema industry to fulfil their passion, which they had to leave in the middle, TheatreWorld catches up with K M Vishnu Vardhan, Project Director at Kasi Group in an exclusive interview on their future plans and their jouney with Qube so far. Kasi Talkies, the movie entertainment division of Kasi Group was founded by M. K. Mathivathanan, a strong visionary and a persistent achiever with a very humble beginning in the year 1970. He founded Kasi Theatre in the year 1984 and in no time, became an iconic landmark in Ashok Nagar, Chennai which was later sold out to a third party. Today Kasi Group has diversified into real estate, hospitality, agriculture commodities, media, communication and the entertainment industry. After being successful in all the segments they have ventured into, they are nowback in the cinema industry to fulfil their passion, which they had to leave in the middle. The current Kasi Talkies, Ashok Nagar is located inside Kasi City Park, a multiplex mall hosting a mixture of
shopping, business, and leisure. The multiplex with 4 screens is equipped with Dolby Atmos and Digital Surround Sound withhigh resolution picture quality. Ample seating with leg spacing and a variety of food and beverage offerings, all serve for an ideal and ambient cinema viewing experience. At Kasi Talkies, Screen 1 is equipped with Dolby Atmos, Screen 2 with 7.2 using Dolby CP850 Base processor
K M Vishnu Vardhan Project Director, Kasi Group
which provides a future upgradability for Dolby Atmos and other two screens with 7.1 using QSC DCP series cinema processor. All the 4 screens are powered by Pulz screen channels and QSC surrounds which are powered by QSC Power amplifiers. All the screens are equipped with Barco projection and Qube cinema server installed and maintained by Qube Cinema. "As Kasi Talkies is at the heart of Chennai surrounded by major theatres in the city, Kasi Talkies management was very cautious on the quality of technology that was needed to deliver to the customers. It was tough for us to choose between various brands and to choose between particular models. After making multiple designs and September-November 2018
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• BUSINESS TREND • doing ample research we came up with a solution that was very apt and cost-effective for the theatre in terms of technology as well as durability. The entire system was designed on a fail-safe environment for amplifiers and speakers." said Sivaraman M, Regional Manager, Marketing & Operations for Qube Cinema. He further added that "Qube Cinema Technologies is a pioneer in media technology having decades of experience in providing quality audio to premium recording studios and cinemas overseas. Qube started venturing into the Indian market four years back and have already done more than 150 Atoms screens in India focussing majorly in South India. We are one of the largest integrators of Dolby Atmos technology worldwide. We have considerably increased our team size to focus our strength across PanIndia, other than south. We also plan to increase our presence globally in the coming years. We are very confident of successfully implementing premium projects across India and abroad considering the huge interest cinemas and patrons have for immersive sound experience." Qube Cinema's Immersive Audio division has installed Dolby Atmos in more than 150 cinema screens across India. With their unmatched domain expertise and ability to innovate, Qube is delivering the ultimate immersive experience to cinemas in the country. Cinema screens in India had been seeing a steady decline in revenue in the past, but with the proliferation of multiplexes and enhanced cinema viewing experiencing, the cinema business has seen a growth in revenues. Where does Kasi Talkies, Chennai score as compared to other theatres in terms of technology? Kasi Talkies uses the best technology and endeavours to bring a great new entertainment experience to customers. The multiplex is equipped with state-of-the-art technology including Dolby Atmos, Digital
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Surround Sound, and high resolution picture quality. How smooth was the entire installation process by the Qube Immersive Audio team? Qube Immersive Audio division is a pioneer in delivering the ultimate immersive sound experience for cinemas and our aim was to deliver the best for the folks around our area. It was quite challenging considering the auditorium designs with air pockets. For immersive experience, equal sound pressure level in the entire seating area, the subwoofers were stacked as an array for even sound pressure level in the seating area. Finally after couple of trials, best results were derived. Qube Cinema has been a trendsetter and will continue to deliver the best in our future multiplex theatres. What is unique about the technology installed at Kasi Talkies, Chennai? Qube Cinemas offers a seamless projection and provides best viewing experience combined with the immersive audio technologies. Qube Cinema also provides Dolby Atmos technology to our auditoriums. The theatre business is an extremely competitive one. How do you look at the cinema exhibition business? You are right! Theatre business is highly competitive. Theatre sales have declined over the last five years and prices have increased
throughout the industry and people have more options with streaming services available to movie enthusiasts. Moreover, people spend millions each year on audio-visual equipment to enhance the viewing experience at home. To score better in competition, we have got the best digital projectors and immersive technology to provide a better viewing experience at our theatres. Kasi Talkies distinguishes by providing the best environment for the customers that they are lookingfor with our services. We are miles ahead of our competitors. We are going to provide a very broad variety of movies and a unique F&B experience to ensure that our customers with different tastes and likes are satisfied. How do you rate the level of technical support and service offered by the Qube team? We have started the journey with Qube Cinema and so far it has been a great experience working with the Qube team. Qube has been a pioneer in the movie entertainment technology and we are hoping to get their best support for delivering an ultimate movie viewing experience to our customers.